Policymakers, child care providers, and parents face tradeoffs in determining how much to spend on child care, including how many hours to purchase, and the features of programs that might influence quality. Given these tradeoffs, it is useful to understand what constitutes quality, the cost of care features associated with quality, the effects of…

The author considers whether current evaluation practice is of value to the Cooperative Extension System. Evaluation use and influence in Extension are characterized through literature review and examination of case examples informed by correspondence with study authors. The more than 675 evaluations examined consistently yielded specific and…

The traditional view that an activity's comparative impact on collective welfare ought to guide resource allocation is refuted. A paradigm of a multisystem society with the non-fungibility of investment resources an essential issue in project appraisal is presented. (SLD)

Part/Whole percentaging analysis is a simplified method of evaluating alternative policies or decisions with multiple goals measured on different dimensions. The aggregated percentages for each policy may be used to select the best policy, subset of policies, or for budget allocation across policies in proportion to their aggregated percentages.…

Congress has earmarked $440 million for projects involving specific universities for fiscal 1997, a 49% increase from the previous year but far from the $763 million earmarked in fiscal 1993. The funds are not subject to the competitive review typically used for distributing federal money. Critics say absence of review makes the awards a poor…

Performance indicators used for state funding, past and present, of public colleges in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington are reviewed to explore their intent and implications and to provide information for policymakers considering introducing or revising…

Compensatory education funds permit local educational agencies (or school districts) to use a variety of highly specialized materials, resources, and training for the pupils and teachers in eligible schools. These special compensatory services (as individual projects) are systematically assigned on a pupil needs basis. Compensatory education…

The administrative problems of public sector research programs in developing nations include lack of major public policies and too many minor ones, inadequate or haphazard planning, budgetary constraints, inadequate evaluation and monitoring, inadequate or obsolete equipment and facilities, trained manpower shortages, and limited motivation. (MSE)

A British national study of the university research enterprise in 1995-96 assessed the impact of a 1992 change in higher education policy to restructure the entire higher education system. The study investigated impact at the system, institution, unit, and individual levels, in the areas of research policy and strategy, structures, and processes.…

The study's main objectives were: to describe management techniques and incentives used to operate successful proprietary vocational schools; to compare these techniques and incentives with those existing at community colleges; and to review Federal policies affecting the utilization of proprietary vocational schools. Data and information for the…

Presented is the transcript (translated into English) of a round-table discussion on student assessment and program evaluation in French-language literacy education in Canada. Panelists are government officials and specialists in Canadian francophone literacy education from several provinces (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick). Each briefly outlines…

This report was sought by the Conference Committee on the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, concerned that federal law allows payments from tribal trust funds to be excluded when determining eligibility for welfare benefits to American Indians. Applicable federal laws and eligibility policies were reviewed to determine the…

This report compares actual performance with the projected levels of performance set out in the National Council on Disability's (NCD's) annual performance plan. The findings of this report show a positive link between the allocated resources and NCD's performance. NCD's assessment review showed that it was successful in meeting its goals and…

Seven plans for financing higher education's expansion in the United Kingdom are described, analyzed, and compared, particularly as each addresses three issues: student loan program design; tuition; and student loan repayment. Criteria for evaluating the plans include efficiency, equity, and implications for stability of public spending. The…

In the past decade, based on a change in paradigms in university policy, performance funding on a cantonal and central state level has been introduced in Switzerland: the universities have been granted higher autonomy, combined with global budgets and contract management by the responsible authorities (cantonal authorities). At the same time, the…